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Random musings and activities of a 30 something mom, potential sprint triathlete, vegetarian, dog and cat owner, and a evolving urban homesteader just trying to do the right thing in life for my daughter and the world around us. If the blog seems random, it's because life is and hits us all at 100mph.

I love when I'm done with a run, and on the inside I feel like the girl in the picture.

Free.

Happy.

Ready to do it again.

Last night wasn't one of those runs.

Up at 5:45 to start getting ready for the day. A to school by 7:50. On the road by 8:30 to visit a client.

As a side note, if there was a highlight of the day, it was the fact I didn't eat any of the dozen Krispy Kremes in my car on the way to said client. I bought 12. I delivered 12.

After a 3 hour drive, I had the pleasure of taking client and team out to lunch at the only diner in town. It was yum, but the daily plate (enchilada) might have been heavy. Not to mention I haven't had red meat since before Christmas, and I'm thinking the ground beef shocked my system a bit.

Then after 2 hours on site, another 3 hour drive home. Scenic, quiet, and if anyone asks... my blackberry gets horrible service and that is why they went to voicemail. Sometimes, you just have to enjoy the ride.

I got home about 90 min before the after-school care closes, so I thought I'd squeeze in a hill run near my home. My first run outside in months (I run 4 days a week on treadmill at lunch at gym). This is where it went bad.

91 degrees.

90% humidity.

6 hours in car plus heavy lunch.

Result?

2.75 miles in 31 minutes.

Fail.

I even walked home the last quarter mile.

Not only did I run slow (yes, it was hills, but that's besides the point), I think because of the humidity, I was sweating like I had just done a 10k. I showered and went and picked up the little one.

It's one of those runs when you're done, you're glad you're done. I could blame it on a lot of things, but in short.... I just need to get my butt outside more and just run. Indoor lunch runs on the treadmill are making me soft.

Whether you agree with the sum of the list or not, let's agree that there are some great choices on this list. I'll admit a few made me scratch my head puzzled, and a few I was embarrassed I wasn't familiar with. A quick trip to both iTunes and the Amazon music store fixed that.

I have no doubt, you ask 100 professional (paid or otherwise) music reviewers, you'll get 100 different lists. In fact, in reading some of the comments, some people are down right angry about some exclusions to the list. That made me giggle a bit.

Really, the only thing we can all agree on is that there is more good music out there than I could have find or have time to listen to. What is forced down our throats by the mainstream music media, in my opinion, has never been representative of the best that is out there.

What do you see missing from the list?

Anything on the list that makes you question the sanity of the author?

I read the book, HAPPY BACK, based on a recommendation. I loved it's simplicity and real life applications of simple exercises. In fact, I recognize a lot of the daily stretches from my yoga classes. The product summary from Amazon summarizes it best:

Happy Back is a self-help, how to book about caring for your neck and back on your own. Neck and back pain books typically focus only on exercises and stretches. Happy Back not only demonstrates effective spinal stretches, but also focuses on the ergonomics of daily living to avoid the accumulation of spinal stresses which may lead to pain. Over 140 pictures show readers do's and don'ts of standing, sitting, driving, working out, computer postures, bending and lifting, and even golf. Happy Back teaches you the simple stretches and exercises which are taught to each patient in Dr. Fuller's chiropractic office. These effective stretches only take a couple minutes a day.

It also helps that I know Dr Fuller personally and can vouch for not only him as a Doctor, but also his advice in the book. If you're dealing with the "normal" and everyday aches and pains of sitting in front of a computer 8-10 hours a day (pretty sure humans weren't designed for this type of activity), then this book will be a blessing to you. At least it has been for me.

I had no specific injury to set my general discomfort in motion but have a stockpile of reasons for stress and anxiety in my life, not to mention sitting at a desk in front of a computer for 8-9 hours a day. If you add on the high impact of running 20-30 miles a week, back discomfort was not a stranger to me. After I implemented many of the exercises in the book, I find my back hurts less, I have more energy, and feel more relaxed.

It only takes a few minutes a day, and is cheaper than bottle after bottle of Advil to relieve the back pain and aches ;)

Me!

Random Urban Homesteading Links

Quotes as I come across them......

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, an hour, a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it last forever.” ~~~Lance Armstrong

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ~~~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I like running because it's a challenge. If you run hard, there's the pain----and you've got to work your way through the pain. You know, lately it seems all you hear is 'Don't overdo it' and 'Don't push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond." ~~~Bob Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers general manager, NHL Hall of Famer. (Will-Weber's "Voices From the Midpack" chapter.)

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.~~~Denis Watley

Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly. ~~~Thomas H. Huxley (1825 - 1895)